


A friend like Charles

by B99fangirlnextdoor



Series: Arlo the Service Dog [3]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Boyle's egg sack makes it's return, Charles is an incredible friend, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Platonic Love, and a very good person, but seriously puppy rasing is a bitch, it rips your heart out, karma helps him out, this time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23445154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B99fangirlnextdoor/pseuds/B99fangirlnextdoor
Summary: "... At the end of it all you've got to remember: you want him. They need him."ORCharles deals with saying goodbye to one of the puppies he's raised
Relationships: Charles Boyle & Jake Peralta, Charles Boyle & Rosa Diaz, Jake Peralta & Amy Santiago
Series: Arlo the Service Dog [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1406614
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	A friend like Charles

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is just a quick fix I wrote because idk I'm in one of those sad moods. It was written in under half an hour so it's probably shit but oh well, I liked writing it

"Charles, open up!"

Nothing "It's me, Jake!"

Still nothing. "Come on man, open the door."

Nada. "Try telling him we brought him a chicken dinner." Jake frowned at his wife "What? No! Charles likes weird stuff." He paused, " Why don't you go down to that place on third that does the tentacle balls?" 

Amy pulled a face "No! Last time I tried I was nearly sick. You go down there!" 

"No!"

"Then just knock on the door and tell him we've got chicken dinner. It's our best offer and he won't answer if it's not you."

"He's not answering anyway!"

"Guys, you know I can hear you, right?" 

Amy froze. "Did the door just-?"

"Yup."

"Should we run?" 

"Probably,"

Before ethier of them had a chance to leg it, the door flew open, making the both of them jump. "How do you two not remember that I have ring installed? Jake you helped me put it in!"

* * *

"Sorry again for snapping at you. And thanks for the food. You're good friends." Charles sighed as he popped another egg in his mouth and swallowed it whole, eyes not leaving the zip lock bag with a black collar in it that was resting on the mantelpiece of his living room. "I've just been so… sad since he went back."

"I know bud," Jake whispered from where he was sat next to his wife over in the corner, for once not trying to avoid the difficult conversation. "But that's okay; I know he was more than just a foster dog to you." 

Amy nodded as she reached for her husband's hand "And even if he wasn't, your feelings would still be perfectly valid. Jake and I hardly knew him and we both miss him too."

Jake looked at Amy out of the corner of his eye. They'd rehearsed how they were going to do this in the car but now it was getting very real very fast and they couldn't afford to fuck this up. 

"So," Jake started, squeezing Amys' hand for comfort, " We thought it strange that his new program didn't contact you to let you know what happened after he was career changed -"

"Oh they tried. I've blocked their number." 

*Why?" The word came tumbling out of Jake's mouth before he could stop it. Amy gave him a dig with her elbow. "I mean don't you want to know how he got on?"

Charles shook his head "No, it hurts too much. I'd rather sit here eating my eggs thinking about how life is a cruel and vexing puzzle that snatched my one true love away."

"O...Kay, well we did some digging found out what happened to him if you want to know?"

Charles heasitated as he popped another egg in his mouth. He really wanted to know. But what if his dog failed? What if he wasn't good enough? Pulling a coin out of his pocket he looked over at his friends. "Heads or tails?"

"Tails." They both said simultaneously.

Charles flipped the coin, watching it turn in the air before landing on his lap "Tails. Well done."

"So… does that mean you want to know?"

"...Yes."

"Okay, well," Jake rubbed his hands against his jeans anxiously. "He did end up graduating as a PTSD assistance dog," he paused, watching for any sign of a reaction out of Charles, of which there was none. "...And his new owner wants to meet you to say thank you."

" Wait. Really?"

* * *

"Jake do I smell? I'm sweating so much I think I've sweat through my shirt, but I put and entire can of deodorant on in an attempt to stop it smelling."

Jake pulled a face and shuffled further into the booth as Charles wafted his armpit near his nose. "Well that depends what you mean by 'do I smell'. If you mean 'do I smell like a woman's deodorant factory exploded, then yes, yes you do."

"Womens is better. It covers up my natural wet musk smell."

"Eurah." Jake groaned, shaking himself out of unfortunate visuals "Just… don't speak, okay? I'm sure she'll be understanding of your… armpit issue."

"She?" Charles asked, probably a bit too loudly "He went to a she?"

"Yeah he did, dummy."

Charles froze. He knew that voice. He looked across at Jake, who was full on grinning at them. "Turn around, Charles."

And there he was, a few inches taller and a bit rounder than Charles had remembered but still the same dog he'd raised from a young pup. "Arlo!"

Rosa stood back as Charles flung his arms over her dog, who instantly recognises his former handler, a secret smile tugging on her lips as he licks Charles' face with a abandon. 

After a few moments rolling on the floor and receiving (not so little) puppy kisses, Charles looks up, flushed and a little breathless"He's yours now?"

Rosa gave a curt nod and moved to sit down as Charles backed away, wiping his face with a tissue from his pocket. "PTSD. Jail. Sucks." She paused, making sure she made eye contact with her friend as he sat down before she continued. "But now I have him. I cannot thank you enough, Boyle. He's perfect." 

And then before she could stop it, a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I've only had him for two weeks and he's already changed so much. Holt has agreed to release me from desk duty and let me work in the field again." Her voice was too hoarse but she couldn't find it in herself to care, because she needs to get these words out. She needs Charles to understand what he's done for her. "I get my job back because of him. And I just-" 

And then Rosa is totally gone.

Full hystercal sobbing in front of everyone in the bar, snot and all. 

And she should be embarrassed but she's not. 

Charles stands up so he can walk over to her side of the booth and pull her into a bone crushing hug. Jake joins them by shuffling over and wrapping an arm around her, as does Arlo, only he crawls onto her lap for dpt. 

If you told Rosa a month prior that she'd be sat in a random bar, crying and clinging onto her friends for dear life with a dog on her lap on a random Monday she'd have laughed and then gut you for assuming she has the ability to cry.

But she's here now, it's perfect, and all she can think about is how thankful she is for having a friend like Charles.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, when you try to help someone, it ends up hitting a lot closer to home than you intended.
> 
> Kudus make the world go 'round!


End file.
